Honey G has defended The X Factor and Simon Cowell amid backlash and insisted the show was a safe environment.
The rapper, whose real name is Anna Gilford, took part in the programme in 2016 and has opened up about her experience on the show in an interview with Metro.co.uk.
Speaking to the publication, she said she was given access to dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) while on the show.
Honey G, who came out as lesbian in 2017, told the media outlet that she was never pressured to either hide her sexuality or to come out.
She said: “I have to jump to Simon Cowell’s defence in this instance because I really can’t fault the duty of care that they had.
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“My experience was very, very positive and I think they were lovely people. It was completely life-changing.”
Honey G continued: “They didn’t use and abuse people, they didn’t exploit people. I built some really strong relationships with the X Factor production team. To me, it was very much like a family.”
Honey G’s support for Simon and The X Factor comes after former contestant Lloyd Daniels spoke about how he felt ‘suppressed’ as he was pressured to hide his sexuality during his time on the show.
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The singer, who is now openly gay, said when he was taking part in the competition, it was made clear to him being out could hinder his career.
Speaking in an Instagram Live in 2020 which has now resurfaced, Lloyd said he didn’t feel he could be open about dating a man.
He explained: “I met someone on the show and we really clicked.
“I’d never had that emotion towards guys. I knew it was more than a friendship and it slowly unfolded. I ended up being with them for over a year.”
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The Welsh star added: “The hardest part about it was not being able to talk about it.
“I won’t say I was under oath, but to that somewhat extent I couldn’t talk about it because of my status.
“I had to aim my marketing towards teenage girls, that was what was going to sell the whole ‘Lloyd Daniels, X Factor self’.
“I felt really suppressed like I wasn’t being my true self.”
Earlier this month, Jedward launched a scathing attack against the programme and music mogul Cowell.
John and Edward Grimes, 29, appeared for the ITV singing show back in 2009 and came in sixth place.
The twin brothers took to their joint Twitter account on Bank Holiday Monday to hit out at the series.
Their first tweet read: “The biggest regret in life was not telling the judges on X Factor to f**k off.”
They continued in a separate post: “Every contestant on the X Factor was a slave to the show and got paid zero while they made millions.”
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
